When it came to identifying the biggest achievement of his career, Mr Macaulay had one answer: "Being part of a team which has changed Junee from a decaying railway town to a flourishing tourist town," he said.

"As former general manager Greg Campbell used to say, 'there's no use in promoting the town for tourism until we have something to sell'."

Mr Macaulay said road and infrastructure projects had played an part in helping improve Junee.

They included upgrading parts of Gundagai Road, the bike path network, a "V" drain network to Park Dam, upgrades to Main and Lorne streets and Broadway.

"Even the road deviation at Harefield which started out as an idea three to four years ago," he said.

Mr Macaulay is also credited with revolutionising Junee shire's plant and operations to maximise every dollar of funding.

"There were lots of older machines and we had three mechanics trying to keep them working, now we use one mechanic," he said.

Gravel for road repairs was previously sourced from just one quarry but Mr Macaulay developed several smaller quarries around the shire, unlocking cost and time benefits.

"We were wrecking the roads we were using on the way to the road we were going to fix," Mr Macaulay said.

"There's always room for improvement ... but this is the best model to provide the best services.

"Nothing else I've seen can do it more efficiently or effectively."

Mr Macaulay started as a consultant in the same year Lola Cummins was elected mayor before he became a staff member.

"Col has made an enormous contribution to Junee shire," councillor Cummins said.

"He's been adaptable in the sense that if we had a project, he would look for a way to accomplish it with limited funds," Cr Cummins said.

Cr Cummins said it was Mr Macaulay who floated the idea of the recreation centre.

"Col has the respect of the outdoor staff and looked for the best possible outcome for the workforce, he didn't try to put square pegs in round holes," she said.

"His background as a farmer and local knowledge makes an incredible difference, they're huge assets for him and council."

Deputy engineer Will Barton will take over as engineering services director.

"I'm thrilled to be retiring knowing there is someone to replace me that has the skills and attributes needed," Mr Macaulay said.

Mr Macaulay said the biggest challenges Mr Barton faced were changes flagged by the state government.

"It's never sitting back and thinking 'it's a year of maintaining a road'," Mr Barton said.

"It's such a changing dynamic - you only have to look at the last five years with three natural disasters.

"You can't just hit pause, you have to keep going, providing services and having that perpetual challenge of justifying and proving you're doing it in the most efficient and effective way."